This weekend I went to a CGI/Common Core training to get prepared for the upcoming changes. I was excited to see that Whole Brain Teaching fits in very well with the new Standards for Mathematical Content.
1) Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them: This standard focuses on using reasoning rather than being answer driven. In this standard it also states that the environment should encourage conversation, student explanation, and proof of solutions. Right away I thought of the because clapper and "Teach" "OK". These two strategies will encourage students to explain why they chose a particular mathematical process, and allow them to discuss their ideas with peers. It also reminded me of Facebook Lesson #4 which focused on distinguishing between weak and strong evidence.
2) Reason abstractly and quantitatively: Instruction is meaning based. Students are involved in problem solving. Meaning is given to symbols. This standard also focuses on giving students a lot of practice. This reminded me of two things I have learned through WBT. First, I thought of PowerPix. The PowerPix are pictures with a verbal definition and a hand-motion. This gives meaning to the symbols that the students need to know. Second, I thought of Chris Biffle's saying, "Practice Makes Permanent" which I have posted above my Practice Cards. He reminds us that students need to practice everything they learn over and over again to build long-term memory.
3) Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others: In this standard students interact with each other. The teacher does not just "tell". Students need practice with the language of argument. Again, I was reminded of "Teach" "OK". Using this strategy, students do most of the talking in the classroom. Teachers talk for very brief amounts of time before students pair up. Adding the "because clapper" ensures that students are able to prove their answers. Students are able to engage in debates on a topic, and learn to prove their points with strong arguments.
4) Model with mathematics: Students use objects, drawings, physical gestures, and verbal descriptions. Whole Brain Teaching is full of physical gestures and verbal descriptions. Every time we write, we begin with "Oral Writing." The students know the hand motions for Topic Sentence, Adders, and Concluder. They use hand motions for capitalization and punctuation as well as for "spicy" describing words. Students also learn the PowerPix which have a picture for each standard, as well as a verbal description and a gesture for each concept.
There are 4 more Common Core standards in addition to these 4 that can easily incorporate Power Teaching Strategies. These are: Use appropriate tools strategically, attend to precision, look for and make use of structure, and look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.
After this training session, I felt a little more at ease knowing that my growing knowledge of Whole Brain Teaching would help me to be more successful in the transition to Common Core. If you have more ideas on how to use WBT in Common Core, please feel free to post them.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Monday, August 20, 2012
Strengths and Weaknesses
I have completed the first week of school using the Whole Brain Teaching strategies to the best of my current abilities. These strategies helped my first week to be one of the best first weeks that I have had as a teacher. Through this experience I have learned some of my strengths and weaknesses as a Whole Brain teacher.
Strengths:
Having high energy is one of my strengths as I learn the Power Teaching strategies. I enjoy being able to use the scoreboard, have fun bursts, and practice what we are learning in an exciting way. I love to see the students get excited about what we are doing. Before using these strategies I would complain that my students were "boring" or "didn't seem to care." Now, the class is full of energy and fully engaged in what we are doing.
Overall classroom management has also become a strength through these strategies. I no longer have to rely on negative consequences. Now, I can promise points on the scoreboard or a star on the Super Improver wall. Today, I had a student that normally does very little work excited about showing me her work after I gave her a star on her Super Improver card. It felt great to see her attitude change about learning in that moment. I use to feel badly for giving negative consequences. Now, instead of consequence, we practice the rules to get better. After thirty seconds of practice at recess, students don't feel "punished". Instead they feel like they were able to get special one-on-one practice time with their teacher. In addition, I no longer have to bribe my class with expensive prizes and time-consuming incentives. The students are eager to earn points on the score board or stars on their card without asking for a prize.
Weaknesses:
Being consistent is an area in which I need to improve as a Whole Brain teacher. Sometimes I require complete sentences, and then at other times I forget. At times I enforce hands folded for "Class" "Yes", and at other times I don't. My amount of energy throughout the day also fluctuates. Today was my first day using the Super Improver Wall, and it took me until after lunch to remember to add stars. In addition during some lessons I might add 20 tallies to the score board and then completely forget to use it during another lesson. I am hoping that through practice and constant self-reflection I will become more consistent.
Mastering the Whole Brain Strategies is another area of weakness for me. I am learning the PowerPix along with the students, so I often forget the words or the hand motions. I have not mastered strategies such as Oral Writing and the Genius Ladder. In addition there are SO MANY more Whole Brain Teaching tools that I have yet to learn. I browse the website and wonder, what is the Bulls Eye Game? What is the Super Speed Rhyme Frog? What are brain toys? I am excited about learning and using these strategies and many, many more.
Strengths:
Having high energy is one of my strengths as I learn the Power Teaching strategies. I enjoy being able to use the scoreboard, have fun bursts, and practice what we are learning in an exciting way. I love to see the students get excited about what we are doing. Before using these strategies I would complain that my students were "boring" or "didn't seem to care." Now, the class is full of energy and fully engaged in what we are doing.
Overall classroom management has also become a strength through these strategies. I no longer have to rely on negative consequences. Now, I can promise points on the scoreboard or a star on the Super Improver wall. Today, I had a student that normally does very little work excited about showing me her work after I gave her a star on her Super Improver card. It felt great to see her attitude change about learning in that moment. I use to feel badly for giving negative consequences. Now, instead of consequence, we practice the rules to get better. After thirty seconds of practice at recess, students don't feel "punished". Instead they feel like they were able to get special one-on-one practice time with their teacher. In addition, I no longer have to bribe my class with expensive prizes and time-consuming incentives. The students are eager to earn points on the score board or stars on their card without asking for a prize.
Weaknesses:
Being consistent is an area in which I need to improve as a Whole Brain teacher. Sometimes I require complete sentences, and then at other times I forget. At times I enforce hands folded for "Class" "Yes", and at other times I don't. My amount of energy throughout the day also fluctuates. Today was my first day using the Super Improver Wall, and it took me until after lunch to remember to add stars. In addition during some lessons I might add 20 tallies to the score board and then completely forget to use it during another lesson. I am hoping that through practice and constant self-reflection I will become more consistent.
Mastering the Whole Brain Strategies is another area of weakness for me. I am learning the PowerPix along with the students, so I often forget the words or the hand motions. I have not mastered strategies such as Oral Writing and the Genius Ladder. In addition there are SO MANY more Whole Brain Teaching tools that I have yet to learn. I browse the website and wonder, what is the Bulls Eye Game? What is the Super Speed Rhyme Frog? What are brain toys? I am excited about learning and using these strategies and many, many more.
Monday, August 13, 2012
The First Day
Today was the first day of school. When I arrived at school I had welcome-back treats in my mailbox and on my desk along with a thank you note from my principal. What a great way to start the day. When the students and parents arrived to meet me they were all excited and very friendly. Then my day got even better!
We began the day with Class-Yes. The students loved this. They enjoyed all of the different, silly ways that we could say "Class-Yes". A few times they got confused and answered back with "class", but overall they caught on very well. After a few get-to-know-you activities we continued to Rule 1. We practiced Rule 1: Follow Directions Quickly by doing different hand and body motions. Some examples were, "Raise your hands!", "Stand up!", and "Face you neighbor!" It was fun to see them enjoying learning a rule. Once we had rule 1 learned pretty well, I continued by explaining the scoreboard. Thne, it was back to rule 1. This time I added the 3 peat. We practiced getting out pencils, paper, reading books, and text books. When I said "pencils" the students would repeat "pencils, pencils, pencils" and get pencils out before I counted down from 10. They earned a point on the scoreboard if everyone was ready. This was also a perfect time to make sure that all the students had the supplies that they needed. The students practiced the 3 peat many times, but are still having difficulty remembering to repeat me 3 times. We will practice every day until they become pros!
Later in the morning we learned mirror. The class enjoyed learning to copy my motions. We practiced silly motions as well as rule one. I also gave the motions for the rest of the 5 rules as a preview.
After lunch we learned Teach-OK. We used this strategy for the rest of the afternoon while reviewing the morning's lessons, the 5 rules, and the PowerPix. The class already knows how to do the high-five switcher! Some groups were reluctant to do hand motions or wanted to stop sharing before it was time. A sad face on the scoreboard usually helped to get those students back on track.
The class also learned 2 ELA and 2 math PowerPix. We worked on memorizing the name of the concept, the definition, and the hand motion for each. We reviewed all 4 PowerPix with a Teach-OK and a Fun Burst! I can already tell that the PowerPix will be a powerful learning tool.
After PowerPix the class learned to do oral writing. After practicing the hand motions for "complete sentence", "adder", and "concluder" I had students ask me questions to show them how to do it wrong. Then we corrected my incomplete sentences. Students also volunteered to try it on their own. The class mirrored their hand motions as they shared. Many students spoke in run-on sentences. They also had difficulty with the concept of the concluder. It will be fun to see them improve on this skill throughout the year.
Before we went home the class wrote about what they did this summer for green/red marker writing. The students focused on neatness as they wrote. I marked a green dot next to their neatest word or letter and a red dot next to something that needed work. Many students wrote so neatly that it was difficult to choose a word to put a red dot next to!
As you can see, we had a wonderful first day. I am looking forward to an amazing year. I have included pictures of my Whole Brain Teaching bulletin boards.
We began the day with Class-Yes. The students loved this. They enjoyed all of the different, silly ways that we could say "Class-Yes". A few times they got confused and answered back with "class", but overall they caught on very well. After a few get-to-know-you activities we continued to Rule 1. We practiced Rule 1: Follow Directions Quickly by doing different hand and body motions. Some examples were, "Raise your hands!", "Stand up!", and "Face you neighbor!" It was fun to see them enjoying learning a rule. Once we had rule 1 learned pretty well, I continued by explaining the scoreboard. Thne, it was back to rule 1. This time I added the 3 peat. We practiced getting out pencils, paper, reading books, and text books. When I said "pencils" the students would repeat "pencils, pencils, pencils" and get pencils out before I counted down from 10. They earned a point on the scoreboard if everyone was ready. This was also a perfect time to make sure that all the students had the supplies that they needed. The students practiced the 3 peat many times, but are still having difficulty remembering to repeat me 3 times. We will practice every day until they become pros!
Later in the morning we learned mirror. The class enjoyed learning to copy my motions. We practiced silly motions as well as rule one. I also gave the motions for the rest of the 5 rules as a preview.
After lunch we learned Teach-OK. We used this strategy for the rest of the afternoon while reviewing the morning's lessons, the 5 rules, and the PowerPix. The class already knows how to do the high-five switcher! Some groups were reluctant to do hand motions or wanted to stop sharing before it was time. A sad face on the scoreboard usually helped to get those students back on track.
The class also learned 2 ELA and 2 math PowerPix. We worked on memorizing the name of the concept, the definition, and the hand motion for each. We reviewed all 4 PowerPix with a Teach-OK and a Fun Burst! I can already tell that the PowerPix will be a powerful learning tool.
After PowerPix the class learned to do oral writing. After practicing the hand motions for "complete sentence", "adder", and "concluder" I had students ask me questions to show them how to do it wrong. Then we corrected my incomplete sentences. Students also volunteered to try it on their own. The class mirrored their hand motions as they shared. Many students spoke in run-on sentences. They also had difficulty with the concept of the concluder. It will be fun to see them improve on this skill throughout the year.
Before we went home the class wrote about what they did this summer for green/red marker writing. The students focused on neatness as they wrote. I marked a green dot next to their neatest word or letter and a red dot next to something that needed work. Many students wrote so neatly that it was difficult to choose a word to put a red dot next to!
As you can see, we had a wonderful first day. I am looking forward to an amazing year. I have included pictures of my Whole Brain Teaching bulletin boards.
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| ELA PowerPix |
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| Math PowerPix |
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| Super Improvers Wall. Sorry it's rotated! |
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| This is where the practice cards will be when we start using them later in the year. |
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| The 5 rules. Sorry again that they are rotated. |
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| Simple Scoreboard. I might make more permanent one later on. |
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| Today's lessons based on the webcasts "The First Hour" and "Day One" |
Thursday, August 9, 2012
2 more days!
I have 2 more days to prepare my classroom for the first day of school. I have my PowerPix board, Super Improvers, Practice Cards, 5 Rules, and Scoreboard ready. I have written the 1st days lessons on the board, based on the WBT videos "The First Hour" and "Day One". In addition I have filled out my lesson plans for the week using the information from "Week One Goals". I will take pictures of all of this to post tomorrow.
As I speak to other teachers, it makes my feel more confident in my choice to use Whole Brain Teaching in my classroom. Other teachers are voicing nervousness about what to teach during the first days of school. I can tell them with confidence that I know what I am going to do, because I am using Whole Brain Teaching. My class roster is going to be challenging this year. I have students with special needs, severe behavior issues, and extremely high achieving students all in one class. It seems like a perfect time to be using the WBT strategies!
As a teacher new to these strategies there is still quite a lot for me to learn. I have many questions that I need answered. I have not watched the videos on Oral Writing or The Genius Ladder, so those are 2 areas that I will need to learn more about. In addition I am wondering how I will ever have enough room for all of the Power Pix. Is it OK to take them down at each trimester? Should I put new Power Pix over the old ones when I run out of room?
As I speak to other teachers, it makes my feel more confident in my choice to use Whole Brain Teaching in my classroom. Other teachers are voicing nervousness about what to teach during the first days of school. I can tell them with confidence that I know what I am going to do, because I am using Whole Brain Teaching. My class roster is going to be challenging this year. I have students with special needs, severe behavior issues, and extremely high achieving students all in one class. It seems like a perfect time to be using the WBT strategies!
As a teacher new to these strategies there is still quite a lot for me to learn. I have many questions that I need answered. I have not watched the videos on Oral Writing or The Genius Ladder, so those are 2 areas that I will need to learn more about. In addition I am wondering how I will ever have enough room for all of the Power Pix. Is it OK to take them down at each trimester? Should I put new Power Pix over the old ones when I run out of room?
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Preparing for the First Day
I am preparing my classroom for the first day of school. This year I plan to use as many Whole Brain Teaching strategies as I can. This summer I have watched many of Chris Biffle's webcasts to learn more about his strategies.
"The First Hour" is a webcast that teaches teachers how to begin the first day of school. In this webcast I learned to have a PowerPix and Super Improvers wall, as well as a scoreboard on the white board and the five rules posted on the wall before class begins. In addition the morning's lessons should be written on the board. On the first day, begin with teaching "teach" "Ok". After the students have learned this procedure the majority of the morning is used to learn rule 1, Follow Directions Quickly. This rule is reviewed throughout the day while learning each lesson.
One part of this video that I really liked were the scripts that help teachers to know exactly what to say. I think these scripts would be especially helpful for new teachers. Chris Biffle also recommends beginning with all students lined up in the hallway. This will probably not work in my school, because students and parents come to the classrooms early and do not stand outside the classrooms. He also suggests waiting to assign student's desks until later in the day. The reason for this is that we don't know the students yet. I usually have my students sit in ABC order on the first day to help me learn their names. I have not yet decided if I will use Mr. Biffle's suggestion for this.
Other useful webcasts that I have watched are "Day One", "Red Green Marker", and "PowerPix". Tonight I will be watching "Week 1 Goals." You can view all of these videos an MUCH more at wholebrainteaching.com
"The First Hour" is a webcast that teaches teachers how to begin the first day of school. In this webcast I learned to have a PowerPix and Super Improvers wall, as well as a scoreboard on the white board and the five rules posted on the wall before class begins. In addition the morning's lessons should be written on the board. On the first day, begin with teaching "teach" "Ok". After the students have learned this procedure the majority of the morning is used to learn rule 1, Follow Directions Quickly. This rule is reviewed throughout the day while learning each lesson.
One part of this video that I really liked were the scripts that help teachers to know exactly what to say. I think these scripts would be especially helpful for new teachers. Chris Biffle also recommends beginning with all students lined up in the hallway. This will probably not work in my school, because students and parents come to the classrooms early and do not stand outside the classrooms. He also suggests waiting to assign student's desks until later in the day. The reason for this is that we don't know the students yet. I usually have my students sit in ABC order on the first day to help me learn their names. I have not yet decided if I will use Mr. Biffle's suggestion for this.
Other useful webcasts that I have watched are "Day One", "Red Green Marker", and "PowerPix". Tonight I will be watching "Week 1 Goals." You can view all of these videos an MUCH more at wholebrainteaching.com
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